NORFOLK, VA -- Wednesday will give the Monarchs a true test of grit and character as they face one of the toughest teams in the country. It will be an extremely useful tool for all ten starting Monarchs to "tune-up" for the CAA, and possibly the NCAA Tournament. Missouri was ranked number one in the country for four weeks. The Monarchs are riding a two-match winning streak while the Tigers are coming off just their second loss of the season. The all-time series is in favor of Mizzou at 0-4-1.

Conference HonorsThe Monarchs have been a mainstay in the conference voting all season. This week, both Christian Staylor and Chris Brown earned conference honors.
Staylor earned Wrestler of the week as he tallied a 15-0 technical fall and a 15-4 major decision in bouts against Virginia Tech and American University. The latter was his 75th career win as a collegiate wrestler. This was the first time Staylor earned conference honors this season.
Chris Brown earns his third Rookie of the Week honor of the season by grabbing two major decisions while garnering 34 points between two bouts. He leads the conference with 32 wins.

Winning With WilliamsThe Monarchs don't usually worry when the 141-lb. match-up comes around. The sophomore notched his 50th career win at the Virginia Duals and has a career 71.4% winning percentage. Williams finished his rookie campaign with a 29-15 record and is well on his way to an even better finish this season with his season record at 26-8. Never overmatched, the sophomore has only lost by decision this season.

Mind of MendozaODU has seen a breakout year from their 197-pounder, David Mendoza. The sophomore has only lost eight bouts all season and has lost by more than five points in just one bout this season.
Meanwhile, he rarely gives his opponent an opportunity to score. He leads the team in pins with eleven and was named CAA Wrestler of the Week for all wrestling from December 19th - January 9th.

MizzouThe Tigers of Missouri have wrestled to an 11-2 record this year and have been atop the rankings for most of the season. Since the pre-season rankings came out, Missouri has not fallen below third in the national rankings and spent four weeks at the top spot. Currently, they are ranked second in the national poll.
On the mat, the Tigers are ranked in eight of the ten weight classes by InterMat and all ten in at least one poll. They are led by the Askren brothers, Ben (174) and Max (197), both ranked number one. The senior national champion, Ben, has won 75 bouts in a row and is looking for his second undefeated season in as many years. His freshman brother, Max, is coming off the first loss of his short career. After rattling off 26 straight to start his rookie campaign, he was pinned on Sunday by Iowa State's (10) Kurt Backes.
Six more Tiger wrestlers are ranked including four more in the top ten of their weight class. Missouri is coming off a loss to Iowa State, ranked third in the country. The two will most likely flip spots in this weeks team rankings. The dual will be ODU's last of the year as they prepare for the CAA Tournament the first weekend of March.